Process fob



Feb. 23, 1932. H. c. WADE:

PROCESS FOR THE FHODUCTION OF OIL GAS Filed May 2, 1928 Patented Feb. 23, 1932 I i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HENRY CLAY WADE, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA PROCESS FOB THE PRODUCTION OF OIL GAS Application led lay 2, 1928. Serial No. 274,391.

The object of the present invention is to by compresser 11 through pipe 12 to the said provide a novel method for the production of tank 10. hydrocarbon fuel gas in which carbonaceous The air tank is in communication by means material and Water are subjected to vaporizaof pipe 13 with a ipe 14 leading to the oil s tion under special conditions. feed tank and with a pipe 15 to the Water 55 The invention will be described with reffeed tank. Each of these tanks may be shut erence to the accompanying drawings illusofi' from the air tank by closing one or tWo trating an apparatus for carrying out the valves 16.

process. In t e drawings- From oil feed tank 7, the oil passes through ic Figure l is a diagrammatic view in elevapipe 17 to a preheater 18. This preheater in en tion of a gas producing plant; the present instance is a small tank con- Flgure 2 is a sectional fragmentary elevaveniently disposed at the top of the furnace tion on the line 2-2, Fig. 3 of a gas furnace 2 and having therein a small coil. Water showing the position of a fixation coil, and passing from Water feed tank 9 into a pipe 9x Figure 3 is a horizontal section on the line is led into a heating coil 2O Within the kiln c5 3,v Figure 3. near the top thereof and thence from the coil Figure 3A is a fragmentary section through through a pipe 21 to heating coil 19 so that the vaporizing coil showing the catalyzer. the oil Within chamber 18 is preheated.

Thepresentprocess is characterized hycaus- The oil passes from the pr'ehealter 18' au .ing the travel of commingled carbonaceous through a pipe 22. The Water passes from 70 material and Water under a steaming temperathe coil 19 to a pipe 23. Each pipe leads to ture of the Water, Whilst the liquids are cona nozzle and the nozzles eject-into a junction fined in an envelope which prevents expanpipe 24 which has an orifice 25 within the fursion of the water into steam, to a chamber pernace and Within the inlet of a coil 26. Atthe 2r mitting the sudden expansion of the Water outlet end of the coil is disposed a catalyzer a 75 into steam so as to thoroughly break up the which wili later'be described. carbonaceous material. The bodies are then The coil discharges into a pipe 27 leadin ,j caused to traverse a path in the presence of to a knock-out box 28. Vapors pass fromthe,` heat sufficient to convert the carbonaceous top of the knock-out box to a pipe 29, leading 3U body into vapor and the water into supern to a coil 30 extending within the fixation 80 4heated steam, the final major step in the chamber 3. Oil gases pass from the fixation process beingl the subjection of the vapors to chamber to a pipe 31 leading to a cooling conthe action of the catalyzer a whereby steam is denser 32 and they pass from the coil 33 of the disassociated and the hydrogen content comcondenser to a residue tank 34 to storage 35 bined with free carbon vapors. The vapors tank 4.

thus treated are permitted to expand and The furnace 2 is provided with a stack 35, condensate is drawn olf. Hue 36 being disposed intermediate the stack The carbnaceous material may be 4fuel oil, and the furnace and the flue having a downpas oil, crude petroleum, liquefied coal, liquewardly'extending sub-fine 37 communicating W fied lignite, etc. with the fire-box 3x of the fixation chamber. 90

In describing the method, it is convenient At the top of the fixation chamber is a flue to refer tothe example plant illustrated in the 38 communicating with stack 35. A damper drawings. ll have shown at 1 an oil storage 38x controls Hue 3 ,a damper 37 controls subtank, at 2 a furnace, at 3 a fixation chamber, iiue 37 and a damper 36x controls flue 36.

at 4 a gas storage tank. By means of the The fixation chambermay be madeapart of O5 pump 5, I pass the oil from storage tank 1 the furnace as is indicated in Figures 2 and 3. through a pipe 6, leading to the oil feed tank The fire-box of the furnace is indicated at 2x 7 By means of a pump 8, I pump water to and surrounding the same is the "fixation water feed tank 9. Near the water tank is chamber 39 havinga fixation coil 40, the main an air pressure tank 10, the air being forced coil being diagrammatically indicated at 41. 100

-7 ,24 they are at approximately 200 F.

By such arrangement convenience and economy is secured in the relation of the fixation chamber to the kiln and the main treating coil. In the operation, the oil or carbonaceous material is assed by the pressure mediums above descri d to reheating tank 18 and the water is passed un er pressure to the heating coil 20. The pressure within air tank 10 may be 80 to 100 pounds per square inch for example. `I prefer to heat the water to approximately 400 F. at the point of its emernce from the heating coil 20. A Tank 18 is a eat exchange element, the oil absorbing heat from the Water coil 19 so that when the oil and water reach the nozzles at junction pi e T e pipes 22, 23, may be 1/ in diameter and the y nozzles at the ends ov pipes 22, 23, ma be The 'unction pipe 24 may be VL iav- The coil ing its ori ce reduced to 1 26 may be 21/2" internal diameter and may be T06 lineal feet.

The temperature within the furnace may be 1600.o F. at the top of the fire-box, 1200 F. at the centre of the furnace, 800 at the top, although-this heat range may be substantially varied according to the substances treated.

By .the means )ust described I am enabled to confine the water from coil 2O to orifice 25 in an envelope which prevents its expansion into steam although the water is under a heat range from 400 F. at the top of the furnace to 250 F. at-the orifice. The oil and water being commingled by the unction pipe 24 and being discharged 1n suc condition at the orifice into a chamber (coil 26) of adequate size to permit sudden and free expansion, enables explosive action of the steam upon the oil, or other carbonaceous material, within the coil 26. The oil is by such means broken up, thoroughly disseminated and the water vapor acts as a carrier therefor in the coil. Not only is the oil or other carbonaceous material placed in an ideal condition for heat treatment but in such condition that no carbon is formed within the coil.

The catalyzer a is preferably formed of a niehrome alloy treated Wire coiled or otherwise formed, so as to expose a maximumsurface in proportion to mass. I found that in a plant ofthe proportions specified, a catalyze;- of approximately 8-10 ounces will suffice for a single coil. It'will be understood that a plurality of coils may be placed within a single kiln in nested or other suitablev form.

I have established by operations and analysis that the catalyzer has the effect of disassociating steam 1nto its elements and caus-v ing combination of the hydrogen with free carbon vapors from the carbonaceous material.

The gas is passed from the coil 26 to a knock-out box28 where the gases and vapors expand and condensate is taken out. The gs and vapors then pass to the fixation cham r where additional heat is supplied' to expand the vapors to a fixed permanent gas, a slight condensate being removed by cooling condenser 32, the final product passinor into storage tank 4. Without washing, scrubbing or other purification I have obtained by the method usin a low grade asphaltic base fuel oil, a fixe gas having the following analysis Per cent Gbserved B. t. u. by calorimeter test, 1352 per cubic foot.

By closing damper 36* and openin damper 3"* the not flue gases may be carrie into the fixation chamber and after imparting heat to coil 30 may pass out of stack 35 via flue 38.

A burner in fire-box 3* may add any heat required in the fixation chamber in addition to the Hue gases. I desire that the temperature within fixation coil 30 be 900-1200 F.

It ivill be understood that the plant illustrated in the drawings is shown largely diagrammatic and that various modifications and re-arrangements of the elements may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent being as follows A process of producing oil gas, which comprises preheating oil by heat exchange with heated water, mixing theheated oil and water after the heat exchange, passing the heated mixture of oil and water at a temperature of' approximately 200 F. into a heated coil,`va-

porizing the mixed oil and water in the heated coil in contact with a nichrome catalyst, passing the vapors through an expansion chamber whereby the vapors are expanded and liquid condensate removed, then passing the vapors into a fixing coil and heatingF he vapors to a temperature of above 900 whereby the vapors are gasified.

les

nis

In testimony whereof, I havel'signed. my

name to this specification.

HENRY CLAY WADE. 

